William W Johnstone - Ashes 28 - Standoff in the Ashes (txt)

THE WAR TO COME

"Good day, General Raines. Once again, thanks for the cease-fire and the

help in recovering the bodies."

Ben watched the Federal colonel make his way down the bank and step into

a boat, then he turned to his team. "Well, I tried."

"They want a fight, Pops," Anna told him. "From President Osterman on

down. We might as well make up our minds to give them one and get it

over with."

"Problem is, Kiddo, once it starts for real it'll never be over."

"Get down, General!" a Rebel shouted. "The Feds just jerked down the

white flag."

Ben and his team ducked for cover just in time. Gunfire raked the top of

the bank where they'd been standing.

"Bastards!" Ben said, spitting out a mouth of dirt and grass.

"You really think this fight will last that long, Pops?" Anna asked.

"It'll probably last for years, Anna, in one form or another."

"And we'll win it?"

"Oh, we'll win the battles. I have no doubts about that. But the hatred

will last for years and years. This civil war won't be like the first

one, a hundred and fifty years ago. Many of those veterans shook hands

and forgave one another. They posed together for pictures and paintings.

Had parades. This is a brand new war, Anna-the USA's godless

totalitarian government against the SUSA's small government offering

maximum freedom for its citizens. We'll win the war, but to do it we're

going to have to virtually destroy the states aligned with the USA. And

that, my dear, is going to rip this country apart, so far apart it will

leave a wound that might never heal."

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4 STANDOFF

IN THE ASHES

William W. Johnstone

Pinnacle Books Kensington Publishing Corp.

http://www.pinnaclebooks.com

5 This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used

fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or

events, is entirely coincidental.

PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp. 850 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022

or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher,

excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this

book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to

the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any

payment for this "stripped book."

Pinnacle and the P logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

First Printing: October, 1999

10 987654321

Printed in the United States of America

6

I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat, and tears.

Winston Churchill

7 Prologue

If a war had not engulfed the entire world, plunging every nation into

bloody chaos, the government of the United States would probably have

collapsed, anyway. Personal income taxes had been going up for years,

and the hardworking, law-abiding citizens were paying well over half

their incomes to the government. The left wing of the Democratic party

had taken over and passed massive gun-grab legislation, effectively

disarming American citizens- except for die criminals, of course, and

about three quarters of a million tough-minded Americans who didn't give

a rat's ass what liberals said, thought, or did. Those Americans

carefully sealed up their guns and buried diem, along with cases of

ammunition. When the collapse came, those Americans were able to defend

themselves against the hundreds of roaming gangs of punks and thugs that

popped up all over what had once been called the United States of

America. The great nation would never again be accurately referred to by

that name.

8

Slowly, a growing group of people began calling for a man named Ben

Raines to lead them, but Ben didn't want any part of leadership. For

months he disregarded the ever-increasing calls from people all over the

nation. Finally, he could no longer ignore the pleas.

Months later, thousands of people made the journey to the northwest part

of the country and formed their own nation of three states. It was

called the Tri-States, and those who chose to live there based many of

their laws on the Constitution of the United States, on die original

interpretation of that most revered document. Basically, it was a

commonsense approach to government, something that had been sadly

lacking during the years when the liberals were in control of the old

United States of America. After only a few months in their new nation,

Ben knew that only about two out of every ten Americans could (or would,

more to the point), live under a commonsense form of government. Under

diis form of government, everyone, to a great degree, controlled his own

destiny. The Rebels, as residents of the Tri-States were named by the

press, took wonderful care of die very old, the young, and diose unable

to care for diemselves. If a person was able to work, he worked ... like

it or not. There were no free handouts for able-bodied people. If they

didn't want to work, diey got the hell out of the Tri-States-very quickly.

The first attempt at building a nation within a nation failed when the

federal government grew powerful enough to launch a major campaign

against the Tri-States. The original Tri-States was destroyed, and the

Rebel army was decimated and scattered.

The federal government made one major mistake: they didn't kill Ben Raines.

Ben and the few Rebels left alive began rebuilding their army and then

launched a very nasty guerrilla war against

9

the federal government that lasted for months: hit hard, destroy, and

run. It worked.

Before any type of settlement could be reached, a deadly plague struck

the earth-a rat-borne outbreak, black death revisited.

When the deadly disease finally ran its course, anarchy reigned over

what had once been America. Gangs of punks and warlords ruled from

border to border, coast to coast. Ben and his Rebels began the long,

slow job of clearing the nation of human slime and setting up a new

Tri-States. This time they settled in the south-first in Louisiana, in

an area they called Base Camp One-then spreading out in all directions

as more and more people wanted to become citizens of the new nation

called the Southern United States of America: SUSA.

Ben and the Rebels fought for several years, clearing the cities of the

vicious gangs and growing larger and stronger while the SUSA spread out.

In only a few years, the Rebel army became the largest and most powerful

army on the face of the earth ... with the possible exception of China.

No one knew much about what was going on in China, for that nation had

sealed its borders and cut off nearly all communication with the outside

world.

A few more years drifted by while the Rebels roamed the world at the

request of the newly formed United Nations, kicking ass and stabilizing

nations as best they could in the time allotted them.

Back home, the situation was worsening: outside the SUSA, the nation was

turning socialistic with sickening speed. The old FBI was gone, and in

its place was the FPPS, the Federal Prevention and Protective Service.

Its' fancy title fooled no one. The FPPS was the nation's secret police,

and they were everywhere, bully boys and thugs. Day-today activities of

those living in the USA were highly restricted.

10

William W. Johnstone

The new Liberal/Socialist government of President-for-life Claire

Osterman and her second in command, Harlan Mil-lard, was now firmly in

control.

There were border guards stationed all along major crossings in every

state, and now many of them had been moved south, to patrol the several

thousand mile border of the SUSA.

A bloody civil war was shaping up between die USA and the SUSA. A bounty

had been placed on the head of Ben Raines: a million dollars for his

capture, dead or alive. Ben was accustomed to that. He'd had bounties-of

one kind or another, from one group or another-on his head for years.

Anna, Ben's adopted daughter, had been kidnapped by the FPPS. She was to

be tried as a traitor to the liberal/ socialist government and executed.

A highly irritated Ben knew the taking of Anna was to draw him out, for

the FPPS was certain Ben would come after her .. . which he did, with

blood in his eyes. That abortive move cost the FPPS several dozen

agents, and accomplished nothing else for Ostermann and her henchman. It

also further heightened the already monumental legend of Ben Raines . .

. and made Claire Osterman and her government look like a pack of

incompetent screwups.

It also brought the USA and the SUSA closer to an all-out bloody civil war.

11

"It doesn't have to be this way," Ben radioed the commanding general of

the federal forces facing the Rebels across the wide expanse of land

separating the two armies. No-man's-land was silent and deadly.

"I guess it does, General," the CG replied. "You don't give us any other

choice."

"What is your name, General?"

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not. But it won't take me ninety seconds to find out."

The Federal chuckled. "Berman, General Raines. Walter Berman."

"You regular army, Walt?"

"You know I'm not."

A very large percentage of Federals were mercenaries, drawn from all

over the world. Many of the officers and enlisted personnel in the newly

formed United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps had bluntly told President

12

William W. Johnstone

Osterman they would not fire on American citizens. The men and women in

the regular armed forces of the USA who did elect to wage war against

the SUSA had been shifted to other units, and were green and had never

been combat-tested. All that was about to change ... in a hurry.

"In it strictly for the money, hey, General?"

"It's a living. As a matter of fact, it's quite a good living."

Ben smiled grimly. True mercenaries never changed. "I suppose so, Walt.

But aren't there enough wars around the world for you and your people to

fight? Why come here and get involved in a conflict you can't win?"

Most of the world was involved in civil war, to one degree or another.

Eyes in the Sky reported especially large troop buildups in Russia and

China. Those two nations were about to have a go at one another.

"Oh, I think we can win, Ben. As a matter of fact, I don't have any

doubts about the outcome."

"Neither do I," Ben responded softly. "And I think you're well aware of

that."

There was no immediate response from Berman. Actually, Ben had not

expected any.

"We'll see," Berman finally said.

"Don't waste your men," Ben warned him. "If you send them at us across

this strip, they're going to die. And that is the only warning you're

going to get from me."

"It's a long strip, Ben, and I'm not the only commander."

"I'm telling you. Personally. Like right now. The strip is the same any

way you look at it. And that is something you already know."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"You'd be a piss-poor commander if you didn't know, that's why. And you

didn't get to your status by being piss-poor at your job."

"Thank you, Ben. Yes, I know all about you Rebels and

13

your infamous strip of no-man's-land. But every barrier has its weak spots."

"Not this one. A couple of months back, yes. But not now."

There was a long pause from the Federal commander. "You're being very

honest with the enemy, General," he finally said. "I don't know what to

make of that."

"I don't consider you my enemy, Walt Berman. Not yet. When the first

shot is fired or the first attempt is made to cross our boundaries, then

you become my enemy. And from that moment on, there will be no quarter

shown or mercy given. I want you to understand that."

"I am aware of your tactics. I've been studying you for years," Berman said.

"You must have been fighting in some very obscure wars, Walt. Or else

working under a variety of names."

The mercenary general laughed. "One of the two. Look toward the east.

It's becoming light."

"I know what time it is. Still time for you to take your people and find

another war."

"Can't do that, Ben Raines. I've signed an agreement. And I always keep

my word."

"I'll be certain that is chiseled on your headstone. Providing your body

is found, that is."

"You are a cocky son of a bitch, aren't you?"

"No. Just very sure of myself."

"We'll see, won't we? Well, time for talking is over, General Raines.

Too bad I can't wish you luck."

"Same here, General Berman."

Ben waited in silence for half a minute. Corrie said, "He's finished,

Boss. I guess it's show time."

"I suppose so. Do they have anything in the sky anywhere, Corrie?"

"Nothing reported anywhere up and down the line."

14

"Hell, we know they have gunships. Where are they? Why don't they use them?"

"Don't diey have airborne troops?" Cooper asked, standing off to Ben's left.

"They have remnants of one division," Ben told him. "Over half of the

newly reorganized Eighty-second stood down. The rest have very limited

access to air transport."

"Ground all the way, then," Anna remarked.

"For the most part," Ben said. "But they do have a lot of artillery.

This is not going to be any cakewalk."

"It sure won't be for them," Corrie said. "Everything on this side is

ready. We're sitting on go from the West Texas border all the way over

to the Atlantic Ocean."

"But we're thin," Cooper said.

"So are they," Beth reminded him. "A lot thinner than we are. We've got

civilian militias and home guards. Those are two very valuable assets we

have that they don't."

"We're picking up movement on the other side," Corrie said. She paused

for half a minute while the others waited. "The push is about to start.

Ordering artillery to stand by."

"Fools," Ben said. "Stupid fools to pull a mass advance all at once, one

several thousand miles long. They really must not know our strength.

What kind of idiot is running the show over there?"

"Maybe it's your friend, Sugar Babe Osterman," Anna suggested. She

looked at Ben, questions in her eyes.

Ben glanced at her, a frown on his face. "Kiddo, you just may have hit

it right. She'd certainly be arrogant enough to attempt to do just that."

Artillery rounds began landing in the no-man's-zone as the Federals

began attempting to cut a path through the minefield. Corrie cut her

eyes to Ben.

Ben nodded his head. "Answer that, Corrie. Let's get this show on the road."

15

Then there was no more time for conversation as both sides began hurling

artillery rounds. What talk there was had to be shouted over the

crashing and roaring.

When the Federals stopped shelling in Ben's immediate sector, the Rebels

knew the human push was only seconds away. The Rebels came out of their

bunkers and holes and made ready their mortars, heavy machine guns, and

Big Thumpers.

The zone fell silent, the Rebels holding their fire, allowing the first

wave of Federals to begin slowly and carefully picking their way across

the wide and deadly no-man's-strip.

Ben and his team waited on a ridge, in a carefully dug and fortified and

camouflaged bunker just a few hundred meters south of the strip, and

watched and waited.

"It's going to be a slaughter," Ben muttered. "They should have sent

airborne troops in behind us last night." He shook his head.' 'They're

doing everything wrong. Who the hell is giving the orders for this lash-up?"

"Federals advancing on Ike's sector, in half a dozen locations," Corrie

reported.

"Thisjust might turn out to be the shortest major assault in modern

warfare," Ben muttered.

"Somebody who doesn't know what the hell they're doing has to be giving

the orders," Cooper said.

"It must be Osterman and her dipshit advisors," Ben replied. "But those

mercenary commanders won't put up with this for any length of time.

They'll start acting on their own before very long."

"FO's all up and down the line reporting those are regular Federal

troops leading this assault," Corrie said. "But they're spread very thin."

"I figured as much," Ben said softly. "Using them for cannon fodder." He

sighed audibly. "Americans. Damn! What a waste of young men and women

this is going to

16

be. The mere commanders are saving their experienced troops for last.

Then the real battles will start."

"Any change in orders?" Corrie asked. "Ike wants to know, Boss."

Ben did not hesitate with his response. "No, Corrie. No change at all. I

can't do that. We can't afford to be charitable-we're not The Salvation

Army. When they come into range, cut them down."

The sounds of dozens of mines being tripped filled the smoky air up and

down Ben's sector. The faint cries of wounded quickly followed.

Ben's mortar crews began their work, sending some of the most lethal

mortar rounds ever devised down the tubes. They 'thonked' out and up,

and came down seconds later with devastating results. The mortars were a

new version of the old 81mm mortar, and they packed a terrible punch

with HE and WP rounds. In addition, Ben's scientists had perfected a new

round that exploded in the air, about twenty-five feet off the ground,

and carried dozens of hardened steel fletchettes. The killing and

maiming power of that round was awesome.

The only possible problem was that an opposing force might have

mortar-locating radar which could home in on the heavy base-plates. In

this case, the Federals either did not have that technology or were not

using it-probably the former, Ben thought.

Osterman had been spending very little money on military hardware. Her

administration's latest war effort was on cans of hair spray, which were

in the process of being totally banned because kids were inhaling the

spray to get high. Very important project on which to spend taxpayer

money-hair spray.

"First wave is retreating," Corrie reported, adding, "It's more like a

rout."

17

"Maintain the fire," Ben ordered. "Adjust for range. Keep pouring it on."

Ten more minutes passed before Ben finally ordered his people to cease

fire. "Get reports from all batt corns," he told Corrie.

"Receiving now, Boss. We kicked the shit out of them."

Ben lowered his binoculars and slowly nodded his head. For as far as he

could see, left and right and in front of him, the strip called

no-man's-land was littered with broken bodies. "We certainly did,

Corrie. Radio General Berman. Tell him if he wants to risk his medics in

a minefield we will hold our fire while he gathers his wounded."

"Right, Boss. New reports coming in fast. Let me get them down."

Ben rolled a cigarette and waited while Corrie took down all the

information. He glanced around the bunker. His personal team was

certainly relaxed enough. Anna was chomping on a fresh wad of bubble

gum. Beth was munching on a candy bar. Cooper was sitting down reading a

magazine. Jersey was staring out the slit in front of the bunker,

watching the no-man's-land. They had all been through this more times

than Ben cared to recall. Long, bloody, gut-wrenching years of combat,

fighting for the right to be free in the SUSA.

"The Federals hit us in strength in half a dozen locations," Corrie

reported. "They didn't gain an inch of SUSA ground. We were hit in much

lesser force in about a dozen other locations. Same results. Prelims

indicate the Federals lost, dead or wounded, approximately ten thousand

personnel."

"Half a division," Ben said. "Young men and women wiped out just to

satisfy that bitch Osterman. Jesus!"

"And it's just started," Cooper remarked.

Ben looked at his driver. "Yes. It's just begun." He looked briefly back

at the no-man's strip of land. "Some-

18

body get some coffee in here. It's going to be a long morning."

Claire Osterman stared in disbelief as the reports began landing on her

desk in the New White House in Indiana. Thousands of troops dead or

wounded. Not one inch of SUSA ground taken.

"Incredible," she muttered.

"Not really," said one of the senior advisors seated around her desk.

"What do you mean?" Claire 'Sugar Babe' Osterman demanded. She waved the

sheaf of papers. ' 'A bunch of ragtag, gun-happy, right-wingers just

defeated thousands of professional soldiers."

"Claire," the longtime friend and advisor said patiently. He was one of

only a few men and women who did not refer to her as Madam President

when in semi-private or private conversation. "Ben Raines does not

command a ragtag army. The Rebels are unquestionably the finest fighting

force on earth. And you made a very big mistake by tangling with them."

Claire waved that away. "We've been over this before, Otis. I know your

opinion. Enough, already."

Otis Warner stared at Claire for a moment. In all his years he had never

known a person with such hatred as that which Claire Osterman held for

Ben Raines. Not that some of it wasn't justified, Otis thought, for in

his mind it certainly was. Ben Raines was a most unreasonable man when

it came to the SUSA ... among other matters. But Claire had a very bad

habit of sometimes underestimating her foes.

Otis ignored her request to drop the subject. "Claire, let's try

negotiating with President Jefferys. He is a very reasonable man. I

think we could work something out."

19

Claire Osterman glared at her friend for several seconds. The others in

the room suddenly had a very strong urge to be somewhere else. Claire

was becoming angry, and when she lost her temper she sometimes flew into

a towering rage. It was not a pretty sight.

Before Madam President could explode, Otis held up a hand. "Control

yourself, Claire. Take a deep breath, have a sip of water. Just calm

down and think about this. We're going to waste a lot of money fighting

Ben Raines and the Rebels. If this war continues for one more day, we're

going to be committed to seeing it through, no matter the cost or

outcome. And it will be a protracted campaign, you can be assured of

that. Are you certain that's what you want?"

Claire drummed her fingertips on the polished desktop for a moment. Then

she sighed and shook her head. "We could bankrupt the nation ... no, I

certainly don't want that." She picked up some of the papers she had

just been handed and muttered an obscenity under her breath. The defeat

just handed the Federals was humiliating.

Then Claire's face hardened as the image and thought of a laughing Ben

Raines entered her mind. "No," she said firmly, "I will not negotiate

with the SUSA." She looked at Otis. "And that is final, old friend."

Otis Warner shrugged his shoulders. "So be it, Claire. Just don't ever

think or say that I didn't try."

"Oh, I'm positive we shall be victorious in this war," another of

Claire's 'advisors' piped up. Andy Shumburger had absolutely no business

being a part of the national security team-he had difficulty walking and

chewing gum at the same time-but he was a good party member who had led

the fight to save the endangered blue-nosed, triple-titted,

wiggle-wobble fish in his state. The facts that the fish was only

William W Johnstone - Ashes 28 - Standoff in the Ashes (txt)

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